A colossal, box-like steel machine, entirely manufactured, slowly moved across the sandy surface.
Driven by tracks, it crawled through the desert, slowly extracting spice in the territory of the sand worms.
Sixteen steel limbs, each five meters thick and twelve meters long, extended from the steel body above the tracks, plunging beneath the sand.
These limbs drew sand mixed with spice into the pipe openings at their tips.
The spice was then filtered from the sand and grit by spice filters within the limbs, and transported to a storage tank on the steel machine's back, a tank hundreds of times larger than a spider's egg sac.
Innumerable filtered grains of sand and dust were ejected from the pipes by this spice harvesting vehicle, raising clouds of dust in its wake.
Several ornithopters, piloted by Harkonnen Family warriors, soared in the sky, observing the movements of the sand worms to provide timely warnings to the spice mining vehicle.
Once a sand worm, capable of devouring any organic matter, discovered thieves in its territory, these high-tech Harkonnen people could use transport ships to evacuate the spice mining vehicle in time.
Other Harkonnen Family legionnaires, clad in battlesuits and armed with firearms and long knives, patrolled the ground to prevent sneak attacks by the Fremen that could disrupt the Harkonnen people's extraction operations.
The battlesuits featured large, aviation-like hoods but were not bulky.
These battlesuits integrated defensive and life-support functions and were equipped with levitation devices, allowing the warriors to temporarily hover in the air.
However, they did not wear Holtzman shields, as the vibration frequency generated when a Holtzman shield was activated would attract sand worm attacks.
But these Harkonnen Family warriors did not notice the massive shadow slowly drifting overhead from high altitude, like an island-sized city, yet enveloped in a magical shadow, resembling a shifting mirage within the clouds.
The number of Golden Empire warriors and mages on the island was slightly fewer than before, but the lively atmosphere within the island did not diminish.
The two White Dragons and Dos, unwilling to move much due to the climate, remained on the floating island, patrolling the skies of this world.
"What a marvelous civilization, entirely different from a magical civilization.
There is no magical power here, yet it seems much more convenient than a magical civilization."
Germott squatted at the edge of the island.
The keen eyesight of the True Dragons allowed them to clearly see things on the ground even from thousands of meters up in the high-altitude clouds.
After continuously stealing spice and conducting experiments, this spice had become a resource the Empire was determined to acquire.
Originally, these spellcaster legions and True Dragons all wanted to conquer this planet by force using the Empire's military might.
However, a cautious approach prevented losses to the Imperial legions.
As the spellcasters used stealth spells to infiltrate the Harkonnen Family legion's encampment, the knowledge they gained, along with the information transmitted by the Ancestral Red Dragon, allowed the Empire to gradually grasp much information about this universe.
This universe seemed to be entirely populated by humanoid creatures, or even entirely dominated by various branches of the human race.
There were no traces or signs of activity from any other intelligent alien species.
No extraterrestrial intelligent life civilizations had been discovered; most creatures were like the wondrous but unintelligent sand worms.
Therefore, the sudden appearance of the True Dragons was not a good thing, especially since they were not creatures of this universe.
Once they openly began a conquest, they might face resistance from the entire universal civilization.
Although the elites of the Golden Empire were powerful enough, they were too few to contend with the might of the entire universe.
The native Fremen people on this planet numbered several millions, and the countless main planets inhabited by humans had populations not merely in the billions, but tens of billions or even hundreds of billions could be found on just a few planets.
Moreover, in this interstellar universe, there were too many weapons that could pose a threat to the True Dragons and mages.
"Yes, this is a civilization of a different direction, and it naturally has its greatness.
This belongs to the memory of civilization; perhaps in the future, it will become a legacy in my bloodline, broadening the horizons of future generations."
A shimmering glow flickered in Dos's normally blue vertical pupils.
After ingesting spice, the True Dragons within the Dragon clan all gained opportunities for evolution and growth.
The potential of each True Dragon's brain was developed, and their physical potential was unearthed.
They not only had a more profound future, but their intelligence also increased significantly.
They became more emotionally expressive and more inclined to think.
Of course, an increase in intelligence does not always mean becoming smarter; this statement seems so perplexing when applied to other people or other True Dragon.
But in the case of the White Dragon camid, it would not surprise any True Dragon.
camid's eyes were still filled with clear foolishness as before.
His two heads rested lazily on his forepaws, and he yawned, interrupting the exclamations of the two more intelligent Dragon Lord.
"I wonder what Kalon is doing now.
I always feel like he's gotten smarter.
That's good; I won't have to use my brain!"
Hearing camid's grumbling, the two True Dragons, who had grown a bit more, couldn't help but grin, revealing their fangs.
Before this, perhaps the two intelligent Dragon Lord were unable to fully understand the Ancestral Red Dragon's actions, but after gaining the opportunity for brain evolution and combining it with the information Kalon had given them, these two True Dragons already had some suspicions in their hearts.
Germot's mind flashed with images of the enormous starships docked in the Harkonnen Family legion's bases: ovoid, spherical, annular, or irregular ships like pyramids and rocks.
These interstellar vessels, entirely forged from various hard alloys and ranging from tens to hundreds of meters long, might have only represented the powerful military and creative capabilities of this civilization in the eyes of the True Dragons before.
But in the eyes of the True Dragons now, they could already perceive the meaning behind some of those things.
These humans possessed mature technology.
According to the knowledge the True Dragons had acquired, for countless years prior, humans had relied on 'faster-than-light engines' for interstellar travel, reaching a maximum speed approaching 1,500 times the speed of light.
Such a speed was incomparable to that of these True Dragons; only in the presence of a Legendary who had mastered rules would such incredible feats be possible, because these humans also mastered the fundamental physical laws of the universe.
But now, the Lion Throne Empire had invented the Holtzman engine, possessing space-folding jump capabilities, allowing them to instantly reach another planet as long as there was a safe route.
This also meant that once the Golden Empire and the Lion Throne Empire engaged in direct conflict, the Lion Throne Empire's infinite interstellar fleet could arrive swiftly.
The current Harkonnen Family legion's soldiers were few, and their high-tech creations were also sparse, simply because the Harkonnen Family lacked sufficient intelligence.
They believed that the native Fremen people of this planet were few, and that many high-tech creations were unsuitable for use on the Dune planet, lest they damage the magical, unique, and irreplaceable ecological environment that produced spice.
Once a direct war broke out, the Golden Empire's High-level Mage, around level fourteen, could block the power of low-yield atomic weapons like nuclear bombs with carefully crafted high-level scrolls, but they could not guarantee avoiding significant losses against more advanced weapons.
Moreover, there were many legion warriors and low-to-mid-level mages among them.
Not just the Ancestral Red Dragon, but other True Dragon also did not want their strength to suffer significant damage here.
Therefore, Dos and Germott could understand Kalon's cautious actions.
Although they did not possess the Ancestral Red Dragon's ability to calculate future directions by processing information from the infinite past and present, the highly developed brains of the True Dragon made them more intelligent.
Germot swished his tail, lazily sweeping it back and forth on the ground like a large cat.
"Kalon wants to use Paul Atreides, the bloodline heir of that great noble Duke in the human empire, to initiate a top-down ruling change and gentle reorganization from within the human empire."
"The civilization of these humans can unite against an external civilization, but they will have no excuse to resist an emperor of a human empire, especially when that emperor has the support of another civilization and possesses the power of the True Dragons."
"At that time, not only these precious spice resources, but also the human population of this universe, which is almost infinitely greater than the living beings of Ekania World, will be our stepping stone and providers."
A gleam of wisdom flickered in Dos's vertical pupils, and he chuckled, baring his fangs: "It seems Kalon wants to subdue this great noble, just as he subdued the Gnoll leader Yug to control the Gnoll tribe, to be the king who rules human civilization."
"However, Kalon's own radiance is too dazzling. Once he appears, the Fremen will definitely no longer obey the commands of that great noble. What should he do? Maintain the dignity of a True Dragon, be elevated by the Fremen, and yet make those Fremen sincerely submit to that great noble as their king?"
"That is a problem,"
Germott fell into thought like a human. "Without absolute force, wisdom is as important as strength. I should think about how Kalon will achieve this."
camid didn't think there was anything worth discussing about this matter. He just felt these two giant True Dragons were too noisy, so he shook his two heads and clamored, "I only need to ensure I have enough military might. Kalon, as my brain, hey, is infinitely stronger than the two of you!"
Dos and Germott exchanged glances, somewhat speechless.
"Forget it, Kalon has things he needs to do, and we have things we need to do. We need to quickly find a suitable location to establish a space-time beacon for smooth travel to and from the Empire's homeland."
...
The Ancestral Red Dragon's massive body stepped on the sand, like wild geese flying over, leaving no trace. Only his maid followed him.
After surveying many locations from the north to the south of the Dune planet, Kalon finally stopped here.
Before him was an endless desert plain. Though called a plain, it was actually just many undulating sand Dunes with relatively small variations.
This was a place the Fremen had to pass through when moving from north to south, and it was also the most likely passage for millions of Fremen in the south who wished to step onto the northern battlefield.
Because beneath this vast desert plain, there was a rich underground water layer, and creatures like Sandworm would not stay where there was an underground water layer.
Although these Sandworm were miraculous, after many experiments by the Golden Empire's spellcasters, it was discovered that a large amount of water was actually a fatal poison to these miraculous creatures.
Spellcasters only needed to use a large amount of water to eliminate these massive creatures hidden at least hundreds of meters underground.
However, the Sandworm's larvae, Sand Trout, required a massive amount of water to grow, which was also the reason for the planet's desertification.
This miraculous transformation greatly surprised Kalon as well.
Light flickered in the Ancestral Red Dragon's dark golden pupils. Through the information carried in the sky and earth, he could feel the reverence and faith of the Fremen on this land for the desert. The belief brought by the miraculous Sandworm was proof of the Fremen's awe of nature's power.
He also felt the Fremen's longing and pursuit of water and forests, as depicted in the god-making propaganda spread by the Sisterhood among the Fremen.
The ultimate savior, the Messiah, would descend from the heavens, bringing abundant water and green plants to these Fremen, transforming this desert planet into a paradise where the Fremencould live.
The Lion Throne Empire certainly had the ability to transform such a planet, but for the sake of spice, they abandoned this idea.
However, even if the Lion Throne Empire's civilization wanted to transform this planet, it would be a prolonged effort.
Yet, the Ancestral Red Dragon could make such a miracle manifest quickly, but he was not doing it to be the Fremen's savior; he wanted to be the God of the Fremen's savior.
"This is it, right here," Kalon stopped, looked around, and then his iron-like claws began to pound the sand.
The soft sand surface beneath the Ancestral Red Dragon's feet was like a drum of the earth, vibrating with intense frequency and fluctuations under the Red Dragon's pounding.
These fluctuations were similar to challenging a Sandworm, and also similar to a Sandworm's courtship call, spreading along the earth's veins in all directions, hundreds or thousands of miles away.
Then Kalon stopped and stood still, waiting.
Perhaps after a quarter of an hour, or half an hour, from all directions beneath the earth's yellow sand, came the sound of shifting sand rubbing and whistling.
Those were enormous Sandworm, gathering from all directions, carrying magnetic fields of lightning and storms of sand, parting the golden sand waves of the desert, and rushing forward.
One by one, the giant Sandworm arrived at the origin of the sound frequency vibration, opening several flaps to reveal huge mouthparts and terrifyingly sharp long teeth, emitting hollow, gurgling echoes.
Six colossal Sandworm, like sky-supporting pillars, shot halfway into the air. The smallest one's body, exposed above the sand, was already a hundred meters long, and in Kalon's perception, the part hidden beneath the sand was still nearly eighty meters long.
And the largest Sandworm was so massive, its orange-red scales looked entirely like ancient rock formations, with a total length of four hundred and eighty meters.
Its dark, deep esophagus was like the entrance to an endless abyss, chilling to the bone.
The Ancestral Red Dragon's body, which appeared incredibly strong among True Dragon s of his age, seemed so small in front of these creatures; their huge mouthparts could easily swallow the entire Ancestral Red Dragon in one gulp.
But these incredibly massive creatures held their upper bodies in the air, because the Ancestral Red Dragon's mental fluctuations resonated with the same frequency as these Sandworm, allowing these unintelligent creatures to understand the Ancestral Red Dragon's words.
"I am building a paradise, and it still lacks guardians, and those willing to toil,"
The Ancestral Red Dragon raised his head, his Dragon Language containing resonant fluctuations, teaching these unintelligent beings the ability of language.
"If you obey me, I can teach you to escape the unintelligent bestial nature; if you obey me, I can teach you to gain the radiance of wisdom,"
"You are their eternal elder, the sacred Shai-Hulud, and you shall also be my eternal servants, my radiant messengers."
One by one, the giant Sandworm tilted their heads, as if in thought, slowly closing their mouthparts. Their heads transformed into conical shapes, with the closed point at the very front resembling a small eye.
"Gurgle,"
One Sandworm seemed to reject the Ancestral Red Dragon's will, reopening its mouthparts and emitting a strange, gurgling, hollow sound.
But before this Sandworm could attack the Ancestral Red Dragon, the largest Sandworm, four hundred and eighty meters long, suddenly shot out of the ground, opened its huge mouthparts, and bit the rejecting Sandworm.
The other Sandworm also simultaneously attacked the Sandworm that rejected the Red Dragon's will. Its terrifying, sharp teeth, like a cutting and crushing machine, instantly cut the opposing Sandworm into countless pieces, which were then devoured by the other five Sandworm.
"Gurgle,"
The largest Sandworm closed its flaps, making a muffled sound, and pressed its massive head onto the sand, arching it before the Ancestral Red Dragon.
The other Sandworm also one by one lowered their heads onto the sand, emitting muffled gurgling sounds.
"Since you are my eternal servants, you can naturally be exempt from the fate of water poisoning," the Ancestral Red Dragon spread his sharp claws, and hundreds of magical runes, like flowing light ribbons, were imprinted one by one onto the massive heads of these Sandworm.
While it was difficult to give these Sandworm other powers like magic, granting them water-repelling abilities was, in the current Red Dragon's eyes, incredibly simple.
Hundreds of magical runes imprinted a huge magic array on the Sandworm's heads, but this magic array did not use magic power. Instead, Kalon instantly calculated and analyzed that it could be driven by the energy produced by these Sandworm during their survival and activities.
"Go forth, my built paradise still needs your efforts." Kalon imprinted the last magic array, patted the head of the largest Sandworm, and said indifferently.
Rumble,
One by one, the massive Sandworm re-entered the desert, using their innate ability to vibrate the sand. In the center of this plain, they churned and drilled, opening up a huge passage directly to the water-bearing rock layer hundreds of kilometers underground.
The earth rolled, and sand flew, but the enormous passage would not be refilled by quicksand, because the will of the earth's master was so at this moment.
After about two hours, a towering stream of water suddenly shot out from the huge passage drilled by the Sandworm, like a fountain, spilling into this arid desert.
Fafna stepped forward, scattering seeds and planting plants in the gradually moist soil.
These were plants like giant pillar cacti, white-thorn fruit pigweed, desert verbena, fragrant shrubs, shepherd's trees, and other plants that the Fremen planted in the desert, a few of which could survive.
Water flowed, plants rooted, magic mist enveloped, and green shoots sprouted.
"Paradise has already descended, so when will my Messiah warriors arrive here!"
Kalon stood on the barren hill, saying indifferently.